Certain refrigerator appliances include an ice maker. To produce ice, liquid water is directed to the ice maker and frozen. A variety of ice types can be produced depending upon the particular ice maker used. For example, certain ice makers include a mold body for receiving liquid water. An auger within the mold body can rotate and scrape ice off an inner surface of the mold body to form ice nuggets. Such ice makers are generally referred to as nugget style ice makers. Certain consumers prefer nugget style ice makers and their associated ice nuggets.
Nuggets style ice makers generally include a motor coupled to the auger such that the motor rotates the auger within the mold body during operation of the motor. Rotating the auger with a motor can pose challenges. For example, operating the motor at a single power is simple and generally preferable. However, a torque on the motor can vary, and consistent high torques can negatively affect motor life. To avoid extraneous torque on the motor, certain refrigerator appliances stop cooling the mold body to reduce an ice formation rate on the mold body and reduce torque on the motor. However, interrupting cooling reduces an ice formation rate of the ice maker.
Accordingly, a method for operating an ice maker that assists with limiting torque on a motor of the ice maker would be useful. In particular, a method for operating a nugget style ice maker that assists with limiting torque on an auger motor of the nugget style ice maker would be useful.